Angry Drunk Bureaucrat:AverageAmericanGuy: I didn't realize they had Harleys in Europe. I thought they all rode around on Vespas.

It's like you're riding a f*cking hairdryer.

I've had a 125cc Vespa for about ten years now, best purchase ever, I use it daily, and besides flat batteries and a cigar wrapper in the air intake, I can't think of one time it has failed to start. Petrol costs €10 per week, and I can park anywhere I like in the city centre for free. They might not be ideal for living outside a city though.

Soon I discovered that this Rock thing was true Jerry Lee Lewis was the Devil Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world So there was only one thing that I could do Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long

theurge14:Soon I discovered that this Rock thing was true Jerry Lee Lewis was the Devil Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world So there was only one thing that I could do Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long

Cormee:Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: AverageAmericanGuy: I didn't realize they had Harleys in Europe. I thought they all rode around on Vespas.

It's like you're riding a f*cking hairdryer.

I've had a 125cc Vespa for about ten years now, best purchase ever, I use it daily, and besides flat batteries and a cigar wrapper in the air intake, I can't think of one time it has failed to start. Petrol costs €10 per week, and I can park anywhere I like in the city centre for free. They might not be ideal for living outside a city though.

I had a 125cc Honda scooter. Got me to and from work everyday with over 100mpg and was peanuts to run. Got to 30mph just as quickly as the old men on their Harleys and much more reliable.

The Catholic church is very much like Harleys. Old fashioned, refuses to change and becoming less and less relevant every year.

FTA: "The main events were Sunday's Vatican blessing and a parade Saturday past the Colosseum and other historic landmarks-adding color, traffic and noise to an already colorful day in downtown Rome, thanks to a gay pride march."

phrenicmonkey:As someone who doesn't collect stamps I know what blessings accomplish, but as a non-catholic, what are they supposed to do?

Blessings are in a category of things called "sacramentals". They are supposed to remind you of God's power and make you more receptive to divine grace. It's a way of focusing the mind towards the divine aspect of otherwise mundane things. Sort of like the Catholic habit of dipping a finger in Holy Water when entering a church or chapel.

Blessings do not however, confer any magic powers on an object. A blessed horse is not going to win a race any more often than a heathen one. (Oh, and useless note.. to keep people from being all superstitious about the magic powers bit, you are not supposed to sell a 'blessed object" as such. No extra points on the resale value of those bikes cause they are "Papably Good".)